Freelance Journalist, Blogger, Avid Enthusiast

iTunes

On Tuesday, two of the most anticipated indie albums saw their official releases. The National dropped High Violet, an album that put Twitter users into a cumulative tizzy when The New York Times streamed the album in full a few weeks ago. The other album is Treats, the debut by Brooklyn “it” band Sleigh Bells. … [Read more…]

There’s been plenty of rumors circulating online about the future of Lala, an online music service, since Apple acquired the site in December. Well, these rumors can be put to rest. Apple is shutting Lala down. I received the following email from Lala just a short while ago: Dear Leor G., The Lala service will … [Read more…]

I’ve got an odd relationship with downloading. I’m usually outspoken against it when discussing the subject with most of my friends, but usually for a variety of reasons that you really can’t articulate when these types of conversations boil down to lots of yelling. I’ll diffuse the normal “record labels and artists” and “pirating” and … [Read more…]

The big news that folks have been paying attention to the other day from Apple’s presentation at the Macworld Expo was the announcement that iTunes will now offer DRM-Free tracks to download off their website. Another one of the interesting features presented by Apple for the new year is the new edition of iLife’s GarageBand. … [Read more…]

New York Times technology correspondent Brad Stone has some great information on the future of DRM-free songs available on iTunes. Blogging live from the Macworld Expo, here’s the quick and dirty down low: “1:37 p.m.: More background: EMI had been the only one of the four major labels to offer DRM-free songs through iTunes Plus. … [Read more…]

Let’s break this down in bullet points: *TV on the Radio‘s Dear Science, has officially been released online, one week early. Who knows why Interscope made the decision, and really, who cares? You can purchase the album on iTunes or stream it for free at Lala (you must sign up first). Upon first listen it … [Read more…]

Naomi pointed me the way to this excellent piece by Thursday/United Nations’ Geoff Rickly on the MTV Headbanger’s Blog site on my previous post, and it got me thinking about the impact of fashion on culture. Rickly astutely notes the power of the image, and in doing so recalls Marshall McLuhan’s “the medium is the … [Read more…]